Ahmedabad: Death of a near and dear one in a road accident might well be the end for him or her, but a beginning of ordeals for the family. As several of the victims are often primary breadwinners of the family, the ripple effects are often felt for a long time.
“This World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – observed on third Sunday of November annually – we are launching two projects. We will reach out to the families of road traffic accident (RTA) victims and offer one direct descendent the insurance cover under Pradhan Mantri Bima Yojana,” said Dr Pravin Kanabar, president of Ahmedabad Traffic Consultative Committee (ATCC). “In another initiative, we intend to provide scholarship to the kin of the RTA victim. For the purpose, we have received the first donation of Rs 1 lakh.” ATCC, in collaboration with the city traffic police and city-based NGOs organized an event at Sardar Patel Stadium on Sunday where over 150 kin of the deceased in RTAs were present. They also shared their ordeals and appealed to the citizens to be careful – as their one mistake can disintegrate families.
Silver lining for the city amid Covid-19 pandemic was less RTAs and less deaths compared to past few years. City traffic branch officials said that so far 2020 has recorded deaths of 264 persons in RTAs, whereas 342 sustained severe injuries. For the same corresponding period in 2019, the city had recorded deaths of 351 persons, whereas 457 had sustained severe injuries – recording a dip of 25% in deaths and severe injuries.